MrSMW

Clearly. There is a special handshake and everything and a solemn promise that what happens on YouTube, stays on YouTube. They give it all up to get their $2 ad revenue return… Just 10 years ago, the common folks paid these rawk stars a small fortune to go on one of their secret revealing workshops. They have since mostly become charities for the short remaining time they have in the industry.

Stop giving the world our secrets huh?! But that’s kind of the sum of it actually…

Decision made, I am getting one. Why? Because I have spendyitis vulgaris? Nope. Because it's only the second time in my life I have been inspired by a camera. The last time was Spring 2011 when the original Fuji X100 was announced. I drove 200 miles to a trade show in March to see and handle the thing and knew instantly it was right for me so preordered and had one of the first available in the UK. It arrived the day prior to my first wedding of the season so I took it alongside my pair of Nikon D3S's with big boy zooms. It was an instant revelation shooting bridal prep right up to the point the battery ran out of juice which coincided with the end of bride prep. Oops. Viewed the files when I got back and preferred them over the so called 'pro' camera files. There was a certain 'filmic/organic' look to them that has never been replicated by any camera I have ever used. I bought some more batteries and increasingly used that little guy over my pro cameras before actually shooting a large chunk of the season with just the X100. With hindsight, that was a little bonkers so as soon as the X Pro-1 was announced for the following year, I preordered a pair plus all 3 launch lenses and dumped the big Nikon stuff. Again with hindsight, it was probably a bit much/too little but I traded 'image quality' and joy of use for outright capability and range. Nothing has come close since. OK, the X Pro 2 did and so did the XH1 and more recently, the S1H, but none of these have really captured the intangible magic that the original X100 did. Today, I reckon a X100V might, but I think I have been there and done that now and it would not be another 'X100 moment'. I am pretty sure the Zf will be. I'm not expecting to get those same 'filmic/organic' files that the original X100 produced. I think that was off it's time, but instead, at the very least, the ethos and joy of using such a set up. But so so much more capable and without the shortcomings (crap battery life, super slow start up time and AF) of the X100. My education and career was for 5+ years on F2's or 3's, - it's that long ago, I'm not entirely sure so there is some heritage there just as my first proper camera was a Fuji STX2 that my grandparents gave me for my 16th birthday, which fostered a sense of nostalgia when I went fully Fuji in 2012. I have maybe 7 seasons left in this industry. We'll see about that, but 30 years I think is probably long enough and I think I am heading back to my roots and Nikon to see out those years. Not 100% committed yet, but I do have a need now to have something relatively lightweight and compact and around 35-50mm for at least 50%+ of my stills work so am going to get a Zf with the 40mm f2 SE lens as a very minimum for that very purpose. Beyond that, it's in Lumix's hands... They either produce a S2R or S2H within the next few months, or it will be Nikon all the way for me. It might still be Nikon regardless, but I need to give Lumix that chance because it will be a big and relatively costly move. Or it could even be a Nikon/Lumix mix as my S1H could easily be re-purposed into the mix as my dedicated static longer form video capture tool at which it excels.

In round figures (because it depends on the sensor) 8k 16:9 = 8000 x 4500 vs 6k 3:2 = 6000 x 4000, so for extracting portrait orientation stills, not that big a difference... As that hybrid shooter, it's my next project as in, in addition to shooting stills and video at the same time, can I also in certain situations, have both the highest quality video but also extract extremely useable stills that are indistinguishable to 'real' shot as photography stills? I have already established in my own mind I do not wish to go over to totally extracting stills from video and never doing photography, but rather using it as a bridge as it were when I need to do both at the same time and reduce my kit from 3 down to 2 units. Kind of limited on which cameras I can use to do this as I still want to shoot 50p for slow mo when needed...which just happens to coincide with when I'd want to extract those stills. I've tried it with 4k and the resolution is more than good enough for video, but not for the level of quality of stills I need to produce, but from what I have seen, 8k looking really good. There are a few 6k options but the only one that really fits the bill for my needs is the R3. The outline plan is to shoot 4k 50p + stills 90% of the time plus 6k or 8k raw 50p the other 10% of the time to have both video and pulled stills from the same camera and sequence. That's a good balance for me for remaining a photographer as much as a videographer but being able to reduce the kit which in itself, has various added bonuses.

?

It's the No.2 combo on my list of 3 options. As I've said before, I could live with this kind of size and weight if it had enough merit... My current combo of S1H + battery grip + Leica 24-90 f2.8-4 is superb except in 2 areas and that is size & weight, plus that lens is a leeeetle slow in low light and I wish it was a constant aperture f2.8. The rendering in combo with the OLPF S1H sensor is stunningly good. The R3 and 28-70 beats it on weight, but not by much, - around 300g or something so 2.5kg vs 2.8kg, not that big of a deal. It will be faster re. AF for sure and probably slightly more accurate and has much better low light performance...but, sacrifices 20mm at the long end and that is a lot as I shoot 90mm a lot. The 24mm vs 28mm at the wide end...I actually prefer 28mm which for me is the point at which going wider, especially with people on the edges of a frame, it starts getting a bit meh for me. So as a combo, it is enough to beat out my current set up, but then it also needs a longer lens such as that compact 70-200 f4...but that then causes me issues during ceremonies when I want/need both long and wide. The bottom line is it could work, but the reality is there is a better option for me and as things stand, that is where I will be going. For me it's always this balance between number of bodies vs primes or zooms and the reality is that much as I prefer primes in principle, the reality is I need a zoom based set up or it's 4 versus 3 bodies. I started this year with 4 and finished (this weekend actually) on 3. 2 is potentially on the horizon...

Another rabbit hole entered…

Is it the 40mm f2 SE? I'm not sure if they are different optically or the SE version is just a fancy retro-ish casing?

But I think only the old Sigmas and Tamrons so nothing like the latest 28-70mm f2.8 from Sigma which I think is L and E only or the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 G2 which I believe is E only? I'm not personally interested in a system where I would need to adapt bigger and older lenses, but smaller/more compact and lighter though can understand why others might due to having the lenses or because older stuff can be bought 'cheap' used. That Canon RF 24-70 is pushing 1kg. I really want to get away from stuff like that. To be honest, I don't know that much about the cheaper/lighter RF primes other than that they are not that highly regarded whereas Nikon's Z 1.8's and Lumix 1.8's and Sigma's f2 Contemporaries are. As it stands, Canon have only 2 lenses in RF that interest me and to be honest, they are MORE than enough to build a system off and it's not totally out of the question; R3 + 28-70mm all day long except C&S flip to that 70-200 f4 and job done. But is that the best option for me based on what else is out there? It's on the list but I need hands on in Paris this Winter...

I really like this lens (on paper) for any fantasy Canon RF set up. I'm happy with an f4 at these kinds of focal lengths as the only time I have any use for such a thing (and I use an f4 70-200 in L Mount) is ceremonies & speeches at weddings which for me are mostly outdoors and if in the evening, I light them. RF mount for me, lack a compact 28-70/75 such as Sigma and Tamron offer. I really do not want to switch one big set up for another going forward. It would have to be something very special indeed to be anywhere near my current 2.8kg weapon system of choice. The Canon RF equivalent pairing this 70-200 zoom with an R3 body is a whopping 1kg less. So great lightweight (for it's size) camera body in the R3 and great 70-200mm f4, huge & heavy 28-70mm f2 and the rest is a bit meh to me. They may be the market leader but imagine how much more share they would have if they had a decent set of native or third party RF glass available...

I think I can feel a Zf, plain black...or maybe the brown...or the grey...or the red, incoming... The 28mm f2.8 and 40mm f2 lens for candid stills / '42 & 60mm' 4k 50p video. Paired with a used GFX100s and a pair of lenses for more considered work, mainly stills. Must. Sit. On. The. Fence. And. Wait. To. See. If. Lumix. Make. An. S2R. But it's so hard resisting the temptation 🤑

Definitely. I resisted having a blog for a long time because I just did not want to follow the herd, but then when I finally bit the bullet and did one, I realised I had previously been a bit dumb. Ditto a 'smart' phone. Every time I'd go to a conference or workshop, all the cool kids had iPhones. I had my Stone Age phone that could make and receive calls. Bit the bullet on that one and err, hello, why I not have one of these sooner?! Also 55" 4k TV after being pestered by the family to not just have my PC monitor as a TV screen. Yup, really. Got it home in I think 2018 and set it up and another, "OK, we 'needed' this in our lives". I am at the point now where I don't need the latest and greatest and still will often by used or the previous gen, cameras, phones, whatever, but also savvy to the fact that living perpetually in the 'good old days' is not always the best course of action in life. Now, pairing a used GFX100s for considered work with a Nikon Zf for candid work. Mentally at least...

My current musing regarding my 2024 stills camera is either 60+mp FF or 100mp MF, set to 1:1 crop mode and shoot ‘landscape’ all day long. Crop in post to whatever I fancy, but having shot the square crop with intent regarding the result. Doable with 24mp sensors? Kind of, but limits the options quite a bit. Even the 60mp does a fair bit as the cameras with that sensor such as the A7RV in APSC crop mode is ‘only’ 26mp, but a better 26mp than the 24mp from a 24mp camera. Not sure what say a GFX100S with 100mp is zoomed in say double, but I guess about 1/3rd? GFX100S’s are not that expensive on the used market…

I’m talking in ‘my ideal world’, rather than real life marketing/cost reality. But I would spend ‘more’ for an upgraded version of a base spec camera. For instance, my two gripes about the S5ii are the rear screen which is ‘OK’ and the sound and feel of the shutter button. If Lumix were to offer a more premium version with updated rear LCD and shutter mech from the S1H, for +50%, I’d buy a pair of them. If I could send my S1H in somewhere and have the sensor replaced with that of the one in the A7RV, I’d happily pay 2.5k But re. the square sensor, all irrelevant if we use the height and not the length as the basis for the sensor dimension, such as chop your 8000 x 6000 sensor down to a 6000 x 6000. I don’t care what the majority would like or think they would like because the majority don’t care or think about such things, but selfishly what I would like and that is a big fat square sensor to match the 1:1 crop mode some cameras already shoot in. Kind of ties in a bit with @Andrew Reid latest musings on 8k sensors. I am very much considering a high megapixel FF or MF camera, mainly for my stills work, so I can set it in 1:1 crop mode, shoot everything err… landscape (or is it in a Christopher Nolan Tenet sense still landscape…) and then choose my crops and orientation in post. Just my opinion however.

I want a red GM5 now… 🫶